I’m so excited about introducing this super talented Laurel-based creative today on the blog! We met at church and have found that we have quite a few things in common. We are both from the same area of Mississippi, and we are both Mississippi College graduates. Kindred spirits, I tell ya.

This girl is killing it at life. She’s an art teacher in a small town neighboring Laurel, and she has her own Etsy shop where she creates amazing custom watercolors, prints and calligraphy. And she is giving my followers and readers a 15% discount if you use the coupon code SMALLTOWNCREATIVE at checkout.

About KatherineKatherine was born and raised in Brookhaven, Mississippi. Her parents realized her talent at a young age and enrolled her in private art lessons. “My parents always encouraged my creativity,” she said about her childhood. “I was always allowed to explore new ideas and make messes.” Katherine believes that art was critical in building confidence.

I was always allowed to explore new ideas and make messes.

While she recalls great art teachers from elementary school to college professors (Go Choctaws), her fifth and sixth grade art teacher and my private art teacher both stick out as key influencers who encouraged her in her gift. “They both taught me more than the elements and principles of art and the importance of original art and creative thinking,” she said. She adds how important it was for them to allow a ten-year-old to come up with her own ideas and show patience when it didn’t work out. As an art teacher now, she sees how patient they really were with her.

I could talk all day about brilliant artists who have better ideas, skills, and techniques than me, but at the end of the day they are lacking the one thing that makes my art special and that is that they’re not me.

After graduating college in December 2013, Katherine moved to Laurel in July of 2014 to serve in the West Jasper School District teaching art. At first, depression and anxiety set in as she was in a place away from everything she had known, really struggling to make Laurel her home. Since then, she has entered into a season of positive, growing close to her church family and coworkers. She has also been introduced to new people through her business. Today, she teaches art to kindergarten through sixth grade at Bay Springs Elementary and Stringer Attendance Center – something that brings her joy and newness each day.